Hope and Truth
by timemachine
Summary: How can one man put his life back together while mending an old friendship. Very AU. Friendship and some romance. Please read and review!


Disclaimer-I own none of these characters or anything associated with the show or the characters

So, this is a new story that I am thinking of as I go. So, here we go.

Joey Tribbianni splashed the cold water over his face, his hands brittle and beaten from the days work. He was a miner, living in a small town in Texas where nobody could find him. His eyes, weary from the long days and even longer nights, only showed signs of pain and lost ambition.

His purpose in life had fled long ago, drowned in his own self-loathing and pity. And even though over time he had learned to conceal these emasculating and bothersome characteristics, he still never completely got rid of their nuisance.

He was always taught to be strong and independent in nature. He was the best of all his siblings and at one time was the most successful in all his endeavors. He always stood by the old phrase that one needed to "pull themselves up by the bootstraps." This meant that only Joey could support his efforts in attaining whatever the goal may be.

His goal was to become a great, no amazing, actor of both stage and eventually screen and to become rich and famous on the way. He learned that achieving this ever-illusive goal of "fame and fortune" was not an easy task.

As his efforts to attain this improbable goal of power and distinction unfolded, be found himself slowly hurting the most important people in his life.

One such person was Ross Geller.

Ross was his wingman, his sidekick. On screen, they were Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau; off the screen the friendship was solid and perpetual.

Or so he thought.

With his growing success from his show "Just Us Guys" and two eventual Oscar nominated performances, Ross was left fighting for life.

Sure, Ross gained some fame in goofy, off-beat, yet colorful performances on stage and screen, but still never attained the massive success of his long time best friend and confidant Joey Tribianni. He got so famous people just started calling him the "Trib." He was now a one-word actor. He, Joseph Tribianni, from a poor family and unsupportive people in the family, was now a high-flying, 30 million dollar per picture, womanizer.

"Wake up, "Trib," his manager said sarcastically, displaying his fingers in a quote gesture. "Shit man, you daydream too much. You're needed at the pit, hope you're ready."

Jim Walsh was his manager and constant reminder of his empty life here in Texas. Jim had his own sad story, but never cared or wanted to share his dark past. Joey could honestly care less about _his _story anyway.

He could care less about anyone lately. He was lonely and alone, lost in this unforgiving world of virtually striped innocence, so why should he care?

Grabbing a white towel blowing in the wind from its comfy place in the towel rack, he gently caressed his tired skin. The stress of everyday life had caught up with him and he was only 35. He felt middle-aged and ragged. He was losing his grip on reality and life in general. Everything in his life these days seemed to be sinking beneath him. He would get up in the early morning, go to work for 12 hours, go to the bar, get completely blitzed most nights, come home, and then start everything again the next day.

"Joey, get your ass down here," he heard a random voice of a coworker hark. Throwing the damp towel on the rack he looked once more into the broken mirror and shook his head at the mimicking irony.

His life was pitiless, routine, a complete waste. But most of all: broken and shattered.

Joey arrived home that night drunk again and seemingly non-existent to the outside world. His life was in chaos and there was nothing that could stop it.

Struggling to sit up in his lazy boy chair almost completely lost to the world, he noticed a lone picture sitting on the desk across the room. Getting up from his chair, he swayed and danced over to the picture, he arm wiping out the small black and white television on the way. He looked idly at first, his expression growing increasingly fervent and intense. It was a picture of him and Ross as kids playing characters in one of Rachel's romantic, dashing productions. The name of the play was "Small Town Boys," about two boys that meet a lovely girl in the neighborhood and each try to romance her with their charm and good looks.

Those plays with Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica, and especially Ross made his mouth twitch and regret formed in the pit of his stomach.

Life had been so simple and pure back then.

As the tears rolled down Joey's sun-drenched face, he began to wonder about the path he had chosen in life.

Was he to be doomed in this hellhole for the rest of his days?

Was the secret he'd been hiding for years going to consume his soul forever?

And most importantly, was his relationship with Ross to be severed and never mended?

It was then, in his stage of utter drunkenness and despair, that Joseph Tribianni finally decided his fate. This misery had gone on long enough.

However, what the future had in store, he could not have imagined.

To be Continued...

Well, hope you liked it. I will continue hopefully fairly soon. Please review!


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